Conch for the manufacture of chocolate



Dec. l 1925. v 1563398 F. G. FRYER CONCH FOR THE MANUFACTURE QF CHOCOLATE v Filed Nov. 10. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 1, 1925.

F. G. FRYER CONCH FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CHOCOLATE Filed Nov. 10. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATE&

FREDERICK GEORGE F RYER, OF YORK, ENGLAND. I

CONCH FOR THE IvIANUFACTURE OF CHOCOLATE.

Application filed November 10, 1922. Serial No. 600,134.

To all 'whom it may concem Be it known that I, FREDERICK GEORGE FRYER, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 9 St. Peters Greve, York, England, have invcnted certain'new and useful linprovements in Conches tor the Manutacture of Chocolate (for which I have filed an application in Great Britain on 23rd November, 1921), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to conches used in the manufacture of chocolate and has for its object not only to mprove the action of these machines by enabling them to liquety more rapidly chocolate which has been placed in them in a too stili' or insufliciently heated state but also to accelerate the normal conching action of the machines on chocolate in the proper condition of fluidity, that is, to rub and agitate said chocolate toa very increased extent.

Conch machines vary in details ot' design but in their main characteristics they are similar, and comprise a trough or pot provded with means of attrition for rubbing and/or agitating the chocolate contained therein. Said means usually consist of a roller (or rollers) which is reciprocated horizontally in the trough or pot by suitable arms or other driving members.

According to the present invention, there are provided a number of bars, prongs or like stirring or rakingmeans, which are arranged in front of and/or behind the agitating and/or rubbing means and travel with the said agitating and/or rubbing means backwards and forwards through the chocolate. Further, similar stirring or raking means may also, if desired, be arranged on one or both sides of the agitating means. In the case of a conch of the usual type the said stirring or raking means are snitably fitted to the arms or other members whereby the reciprocating roller (or rollers) is driven.

The stirring or rakng means are so mounted that they do not make contact with the bottom or sides of the conch.

Hitherto when chocolate in a too stift' or insufiiciently heated condition has been placed in a conch, the roller has tended to push a portion of it into the clearance space at each end of the trough where it has remained for a considerable time during which it has been punched by the roller, by which action the machinery may become u nduly strained. Eventually, it the choco-late has contained enough fat, the chocolate has become liquefied and the conch has coinmenccd its proper normal mode of operation. When a machine improved in accordaice with the present invention is employed, the. bars, scrapers, prongs or the like not only continually rub, rake or displace the still? chocolate which has accunulated in the clearance space but also that chocolate which is in the normal path of the roller, the result being that the liquefaction of the chocolate is most materially accelerated. It is true that hitlerto rotary stirrers or other similar means have been provided for stirring such chocolate lodging in said clearance spaces at the -ends of the conch pots, but obviously the means, provided in accordance withthis invention, are far superior to said stirrers or the like since the new means are much simpler and their stroke is much longer, and since they absorb less power. It`is also clear that when acting on chocolate in the proper condition of fiuidity, the new members being co-ntinually immersed in the chocolate act as eliicient stirrers throughout their stroke and thereby greatly aid the rubbng and stirring action of the rollers.

The improved machines thus possess the advantages firstly, that they bring stifi" chocolate into a fluid condition in a much reduced time, secondly, that chocolate in the normal condition of fiuidity is stirred or agitated to a much greater eXtent, so that either the time of the conching operation may be rednced or the amount of chocolate operated upon may be increased since the depth of the mass may be greater, and thirdly, that the power cons umed in the manufacture of a given quantity of chocolate is decreased.

An embodiment of the invention is llustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figs. 1, 2 and 3 represent, in sectional side elevation, seotional end elevation and plan respectively, a conch having a reciprocating roller and provided With new means in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the pot or trough of the conch which contains the chocolate and in which the roller 2, which is journalled in bearings 3 in the arms of the forked member 4, is reciprocated in the usual manner, between the two extreme positions indicated by the tull and dotted lnes nthe drawing, by means of arod 5 of which one end s connected to the member e and the other end to a suitable crank or eccentrc which is llustrated dagrammatcally in Fg. 1 of the drawing. The forked member 4 sprovided wtha-''ns G which are fixed thereto by any suitable means and rgdly connected by cross-peces 7 to which, in accordance with the nventon, there are fixed: a numberof prongs S which are' shaped correspcmdingly to the ende` of the trongh 1. It will thus be seen that as the roller l or other means of attrtion moves back wards and forwards through the' chocolate contaned in the pot l the pron'gs 8 will move with it and displace chocolate which tends to collect at the ends of the pot and will at the same time increase the agtatng and rn bbing effect on that portion of the chocolate which is in the normal pathofthe roller.

It wll he obvous that in the case-of a conch having two rollers similar prongs, or the like may be provided i'n front ot and/or behind each of the rollers, and, it other rubbng means are employed instead of'rol'lers, similar prongs or the hke may also be fitted thereto.

hat I claim -is- 1. In a conch, the combinaton with a-Vesse1-' and means movab'le transversely of the vessel for subjeeting the chocolate to attriton, Qef. prongs connected with said means and movablebodly theIrewi-th fon separately agtating the chocolate.

2. In a conch, the combinaton with a vessel and' means movabl'e transversely of the vessel for subj eeting the chocolate to attrton, of p'ongs directly connected with said means atopposite' sides thereof in the direction of movement for separately agitating the chocolate;

ln a conch, the, conbinaton with a vessel: and a roller theren for subjectng the chocolate' to attri ton, .of prongs disposed 0nopposte sdes of the roller and movabl'e bodily therewith' for separately agtating the chocolate.

4. In a conch,. the' combnaton wtha vessel, means movable theren for subjectng the chocolate to attrton, a frame connected with said means and prongs connected with said fra-me in the front: and in the rea' of' said means for separatel'y agtatng the chocolate.

In a concln the combinaton with' a:

REREDCK GEORGE FRYER; 

